Candidate Profile 2024: Greg Wood For Sarasota County School Board

SARASOTA, FL — Realtor Greg Wood is running for the Sarasota County School Board District 3 seat.

He faces two challengers, incumbent Tom Edwards and Thomas Babicz, in the race.

Patch sent a questionnaire to all candidates in the District 3 race. Edwards and Babicz didn’t respond.

Find Wood’s responses below:

Name:

Greg Wood

Age:

44

Occupation:

Realtor, former Executive Director Sarasota Scullers Youth Rowing Program. I switched careers so I could spend more time with my own children.

Why are you running for office?

I am the father of three young daughters, so I have skin in the game here, unlike my opponents. I am also the only candidate with a significant history and experience of working with children and families helping them achieve their goals. I have experienced the effects of our school district’s decisions and policies, and I see so many frustrated parents who are giving up on public schools due to agendas and lack of results. We deserve better. Like these parents, I want our schools focused on education and focused on setting our students up for success after high school. We have to rebuild trust in the community and get back to the business of education. I know that while we have a good school system overall, there are plenty of areas where we can improve to better serve our children.

What do you think are the top three issues the school district is currently facing?

Three is tough! My first and obvious issue would be political agendas in schools and in the boardroom. Our children are not political pawns nor should they be used as such. Our job is to provide them a quality education that sets them up for a great future. Politics aside, and in no particular order, we parents want to get back to the business of an education we recognize. We can achieve that by focusing on reading, teachers/staff, and for many families, ESE improvements.

1. Reading: Our schools are finally making strides on reading improvement, but there’s more work to do. Children learn to read through third grade and then read to learn after third grade; this is such an important skill to get right. Studies show that third grade reading comprehension is indicative of a student’s future success. We are failing many children in this category; that is not acceptable. As we improve our reading, our results in later years and in other subjects will improve as well.
2. Teachers and Staff: Our teachers and staff need to feel appreciated and empowered because without them, we cannot educate our children. I applaud Governor (Ron) DeSantis’ recent efforts to increase the pay of our teachers, but we always have more work to do to improve teacher compensation and retention. Investing in professional development for our teachers and paving a path free of political motives will ensure a successful education and a positive school experience for our children.
3. Exceptional Student Education: Our ESE programs need to see significant improvement. Thankfully, our school board is starting the process of bringing excellence in ESE. It will be a long journey to get right, but I will look to maintain a smart path forward and be a voice in ensuring families and students are receiving adequate attention and resources to succeed.

Learn more about Wood at his campaign website, on his Facebook page and on Instagram.